Grant from Gates Foundation will help create comprehensive
instructional system to prepare America's students to meet Common Core
State Standards

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Pearson Foundation today announced a partnership with the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation to support America’s teachers by creating a
full series of digital instructional resources. Online courses in math
and reading/English language arts will offer a coherent and systemic
approach to teaching the new Common Core State Standards. Common Core
Standards were developed by the National Governors Association, in
partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers. Forty-one
states, two territories, and the District of Columbia have adopted the
standards.

“The development of the Common Core Standards has set a high bar for
public education in America”

Unique and original, this project is dedicated to creating a complete,
foundational system of instruction built around the Common Core
Standards. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide funding and
research to support this partnership.

Over the next three years, the Pearson Foundation will develop 24
courses covering math for grades K-10 and reading/English language arts
for grades K-12. The courses will enable teachers and students to access
the latest and most effective digital learning technologies as they
prepare to meet the internationally benchmarked college readiness goals
of the Common Core Standards.

“This project is an innovative way to support teachers by providing
tools they need to help students meet the new standards,” said Vicki
Phillips, Director of Education, College Ready, Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. “The Pearson Foundation has assembled an amazing
international team to meet the goals articulated by the new Common Core
Standards. We look forward to partnering in the development and
dissemination of these much-needed resources.”

"The development of the Common Core Standards has set a high bar for
public education in America," said Pearson Chief Executive Marjorie
Scardino. "With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and
the Pearson Foundation, we'll aim high to devise courses that will
engage teachers and students and try to help a new generation compete in
a demanding world economy."

Complementing the instructional system, additional resources may also be
developed including those from third-party curriculum providers whose
solutions offer the greatest potential for student success.

The courses
will be made available in 2013, before the Common Core Standards are
implemented. Funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will
support four courses to be offered as free, open educational resources,
with the intent of widening access and spurring innovation around the
Common Core.

Pearson, the nation’s leading education technology company, will offer
these courses to school districts, complete with new services for
in-person professional development for teacher transition to the Common
Core and next generation assessment. The Pearson Foundation will also
work with other partners to explore opportunities for additional
commercial development and distribution.

Judy Codding, former President and CEO of America's Choice, is leading
the course development effort. Phil Daro, chairperson of the Common Core
Mathematics college and career readiness standards work group, and Sally
Hampton, chairperson of the Common Core Reading/English Language Arts
college and career readiness standards work group, will oversee the
course design and development teams. Susan Sclafani, former counselor to
Secretary of Education Rod Paige and Assistant Secretary for Vocational
and Adult Education, will play a major role in coordinating this
initiative. Educators and researchers from leading universities will
also have an active role in designing and developing these courses.

“These new courses will be the first designed from the bottom up to meet
the new learning goals established by the Common Core Standards,” said
Pearson Foundation President, Mark Nieker. “These goals are essential to
make sure American students have the best chance possible to succeed
when they graduate high school. The courses will be developed to
increase student engagement and will focus on the essential
understanding of the concepts that inform Math and Language Arts. The
key learning behaviors of collaboration, the appropriate use of
technology, and real-world engagement—that educators agree are already
defining college and workforce success—are integrated with the content.”

The Pearson Foundation

The Pearson Foundation extends Pearson's (NYSE: PSO) commitment to
education by partnering with leading nonprofit, civic, and business
organizations to provide financial, organizational, and publishing
assistance across the globe. The Foundation aims to make a difference by
sponsoring innovative educational programs and extending its educational
expertise to help in classrooms and in local communities. www.pearsonfoundation.org.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive
lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health
and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme
poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all
people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the
opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle,
Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair
William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and
Warren Buffett.